80-Year-Old Discovers Attic, Untouched Since WWII, Full Of Family Treasures

Many families were displaced from their homes as a result of World War II. After the war, many German nationals were forced out of Czechoslovakia, leaving behind all of their possessions. Rudi Schlattner, now in his 80s, was just a young man when he and his family were uprooted from their home.

For the first time since that life-changing event, Rudi returned to his old house in Czechoslovakia, which is now a kindergarten. Even though the inside has changed, Rudi hoped to find something valuable that his father hid in their house prior to leaving ...

This was Rudi Schlattner's childhood home.

Roughly 70 years later, his family brought him here to help him look for a collection of valuables he believes are hidden in the house.

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Despite multiple renovations, no one had noticed a string attached to this loose board in the attic.

Rudi pulled away the board and discovered a hidden compartment packed with items. His father did this in case the family was ever able to return to their home country.

After spending hours in the attic's close quarters, Rudi and his family managed to get everything outside.

They contacted museum staff from a nearby town and asked them to help catalogue and date each item.

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The discovery is a dream for anyone interested in WWII.

Even if some of the items don't look like they have much value, they're a snapshot of what life in Czechoslovakia was like in the 1940s.

Museum employees were "surprised that so many ordinary things were hidden there." One employee named Tomas Okura said that "thanks to the circumstances, these objects have a high historical value."

The items are technically the Czech government's property. Rudi doesn't care how much he gets to keep, but instead finds more satisfaction in discovering this link to his family's past.